Saints bank £50m in just one day with sales of Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana

SAINTS raked in an amazing £50 million yesterday in a record day of transfer dealings.

Teenage defender Luke Shaw’s move to Manchester United was confirmed in a deal that could make Southampton £31 million.

Meanwhile, club captain Adam Lallana was having a medical at Liverpool ahead of a £25 million move, of which Saints’ share will be £18.25 million.

Adam Lallana is on his way to Liverpool

Fans may be dismayed to see two of their home-grown heroes leave St Mary’s, but teenage defender Shaw’s long anticipated transfer to Manchester United could see Saints bank as much as £31 million if certain conditions are met.

Club captain Lallana’s switch to Liverpool, which was subject to a medical last night, could be worth another £18.25 million once AFC Bournemouth take their cut of the £25 million transfer fee.

In the universe of the Premier League clubs, these incredible sums are not unusual. But in the real world the millions lavished on footballers would instantly transform the fortunes of struggling households, hospitals and schools.

Austerity-hit Hampshire could also halt cuts to its police and fire services.

A £50 million windfall would pay for 29 new state-of-the-art blood cancer treatment wards, similar to the one which Southampton General Hospital opened last year after months of community fundraising involving hundreds of people.

Naomi House’s £4 million dream to transform Hampshire’s children’s hospice would be paid for 12 times over – while Wessex Heartbeat could pay for its new unit for young cardiac patients 100 times over. The wages of 2,171 cardiac nurses would also be underwritten.

Meanwhile, the lifesaving Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance would be able to keep its helicopter in the sky for 33 years.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance in action.

The money would also come in handy for other key services struggling with the worst cut backs in generations. The Army, whose numbers are now less than at any time since the Napoleonic wars, could pay the wages of nearly 2,800 more squaddies.

It would also pay for a month’s food for at least a million Syrian war refugee families in living in camps.

WHAT ELSE COULD £50 MILLION BUY?

£50million is: £14million less than the annual bill for the British monarchy.

352 times the British Prime Minister's salary.

Enough to buy 1.7m pints of beer.

The average income of 1,951 Hampshire households.

Enough to buy 83million copies of the Daily Echo.

The same as the world's most expensive piece of contemporary art: Damon Hurst's diamond encrusted skull.